What Is SIEM? A Plain-English Guide

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) aggregates logs from across your infrastructure and analyzes them for signs of a security incident in real time.

SIEM is related to but distinct from EDR: EDR focuses specifically on endpoint devices, while SIEM ingests logs from network devices, cloud services, applications, and endpoints together for a broader picture.

Smaller teams often start with EDR alone and add a SIEM layer as their infrastructure and compliance requirements grow.